


Tony Proving Steve Wrong (by becoming a super villain)

by LittleMissCrazy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, M/M, No Arc Reactor, Protective Steve, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-08-11 20:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7906819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissCrazy/pseuds/LittleMissCrazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an attack on Stark Tower, Steve realises that he can't protect the last person he loves and breaks up with him. Devastated at the break up, and annoyed at the fact Steve thought he couldn't protect himself, Tony decides to prove Steve wrong. By becoming a super villain of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first fic so I hope you enjoy. Throughout the story, you will see some sentences or words in italics. That just means that you are reading the personal thoughts of the person you are focusing on (the focus switches from Steve to Tony throughout the story).

Tony Stark couldn't believe his luck. Not only was he a genius, billionaire and philanthropist, but he was also the boyfriend of Captain America. How he scored that, even he didn't know. It's not public knowledge (yet) but Tony didn't mind. Then again, nobody even knew Captain America was alive.

 

It was days like these that made Tony reflect on his good fortunes in life. Today was a rare day when Steve wasn't required at SHIELD so they could lie in bed. The past few days had been hard on him, due to dealing with the kidnapping of a major government official and attempting to shut down HYDRA bases in the South of Italy. By the time Steve had returned to America where Tony had waited at the Airfield to greet his lover, he was fast asleep and was carried to Stark Tower.

 

Even after 13 hours of sleep, Steve still snored gently which amused Tony to no end. Tony had already woken when the Captain had draped his weary arms over Tony’s small chest, rising him out of sleep. Trapped, all Tony could do was gaze adoringly at the innocent beauty of his boyfriend, at his rose pink lips that worked wonders on Tony, on the eyelids that hid bright blue eyes that seduced and hypnotised all that looked at them and the blonde hair without its usual tidiness, looking ruffled and messed up.

 

However, the admiration and sleep could only last for so long, until a deafening alarm sounded, make Tony jerk and Steve rise almost immediately out of his peaceful slumber.

 

“Captain” the sound of Tony’s AI Butler, JARVIS, sounded in the bedroom “Director Fury requires your presence at SHIELD headquarters immediately as they have just received news of a possible attack”

 

Before JARVIS could finish speaking, Steve had flown back the covers of their bed and had rushed to the wardrobe where his spare Navy suit was. Since the revival (that's what they call it, which is a bit stupid in Tony’s very humble opinion), SHIELD (and by SHIELD, they mean Fury) decided to keep the discovery a secret from the public. Since then, Steve had been going on missions in secret, the only homage to his true identity (apart from the shield) being the white star on his navy suit.

 

As soon as Steve had slipped on the suit in haste, he grabbed for his shield in the black bag and threw it onto his back. He was about to run downstairs to the garage to his faithful motorbike, but he quickly ran to the bed and kissed Tony.

 

“Be good Tony, hopefully this possible attack will be as nonexistent as the last one” Steve said while smiling before exiting through the door

 

Tony smiled knowingly as he wasn't supposed to know about Steve’s missions but he did anyway. He looked out of the window, and clicked in his earpiece, which automatically connected to Steve’s identical earpiece.

 

“Steve honey” Tony drawled

 

“Tony darling” Steve retorted, barely audible over the roar of the New York traffic

 

Tony looked to the wardrobe, where the tracking device Tony had created to keep a track of Steve’s location, lay in the corner in the shadow of some spare boots

 

“Your shield has lost a certain something”

 

“Oh, you mean the tracking device there so my billionaire boyfriend could keep an eye on me? Yeah, I deactivated it when I returned home” Steve managed to respond while grunting, muttering something about New York traffic being awful

 

“When you say it like that, it just sounds wrong and hurtful”

 

“That's the point Tony, I'm not a dog that needs microchipped, I can take care of myself”

 

“I'm trying to look out for you! What if you go missing? What if you need help?”

 

“Then that's SHIELD’s problem and not yours. Tony, I may be old, but I'm not going senile”

 

Steve’s last comment made Tony chuckle as he began to walk to his workshop on the floor below

 

“You? Old? Senile?” Tony said in a shocked tone “you're barely 25. I'm practically robbing from the cradle”

 

The only response from Steve was a snort

 

“I know you class yourself as 104 or 90 or something like that, but your body hasn't aged in the ice. So you shouldn't really count yourself as that old. Why can't I help Steve? You know I have the genius and tech to be able to?”

 

“Tony, I don't want you hurt. And I'm capable of completing missions without help”

 

“You, of all people, are worried about me being hurt? You are the one going on suicidal solo missions that make me wonder whether you'll come home or not. And believe it or not, I am capable of taking care of myself”

 

Steve retorted with a sharp laugh

 

“Tony, I mean no offence, but the best you've had is training from Happy”

 

“So?”

 

“So?! Tony, there are people out there that can kill with you in the blink of an eye. Trust me, I've met them. You wouldn't stand a chance against them, I only just escaped with my life”

 

“Steve, I have that training but remember, I've been begging you to train me. I think you won't do it just because then it gives me the chance to fight alongside you”

 

“I won't do it because I don't want to see you hurt”

 

By this point, Tony was furiously typing the code to access the workshop and walked in, before slamming his StarkPad on the desk.

 

“You think I want to see you hurt?! You think I'm happy with seeing you return from missions with broken bones, concussions and the news that you have 5 hours of rest before returning. I hate it Steve, I hate it! There is nobody out there helping you, but I want to help you! Why can't you let me help you?” Tony said, his voice raising until he was shouting by the end

 

“I cannot let anyone else get hurt” Steve said quietly

 

“Please Steve, let me help” Tony begged, his voice quietened

 

“I cannot let anyone else I love get hurt” and with that last mysterious statement, Steve switched off his earpiece.

 

Tony took out the earpiece and threw it at the wall, but it only bounced off and thudded on the ground. Tony could help, if only Steve would let him he thought. Tony’s gaze turned to his latest project in the corner, his answer to all his recent troubles. He wanted to help, but was not like the super soldier and didn't have his super strength or agility. What about a super suit? The silver gloves and boots, awaiting paint, had already proved a success. Tony had utilised his arc reactor technology inherited from his father to power his gold-titanium alloy suit with brilliant results, all that was needed was final testing and Steve’s approval.

 

**Thud.**

 

_What was that?_

 

**Thud. Thud.**

 

“JARVIS!?”

 

**THUD. THUD. THUD.**

 

“It appears that the possible attack Director Fury warned Captain Rogers of is not only real but it appears that Stark Tower is the prime target, not SHIELD” JARVIS informed Tony

 

 _Of course_.

 

“JARVIS, initiate lockdown on the penthouse, start the evacuation of lower floors and call Steve on the emergency line. If you can't reach him, call SHIELD”

 

“Yes sir”

 

_Wait. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for the final test…_

 

“Wait JARVIS”

 

“Sir?”

 

Tony grinned as he said “before you attempt to call Steve, wake up the bots and tell them to help me get this suit on”

 

“Is that really advisable sir?”

 

“Oh yes. Now do it”

 

~ ~ ~

When Steve had arrived at SHIELD headquarters, he walked straight into the meeting room where Fury, Hill and Coulson were waiting for him.

 

“Sirs, Madam” Steve greeted

 

Fury looked at Steve momentarily before beginning to talk

 

“We have received Intel from our sources that there will be an attack on a prominent place in New York, but we don't know where. Our job will be to send agents to every possible important location to look for anything suspicious. We also do not know when it will happen, but we do know-“ Fury was interrupted by a loud ringing noise

 

“Why are we hearing this Hill?” Fury said loudly

 

“Apparently it's important, has something to do with Stark”

 

“Of course it does, Rogers, you really do need to get that boy of yours in check” Fury complained

 

The call was connected and immediately there were sounds of gunshots and wait was that lasers firing?

 

“Tony?” Steve asked

 

There was no response

 

“TONY” Steve shouted after another gunshot and a grunt

 

“Steve, I've got good news and bad news”

 

“Tony, please tell me what's happening, I'm worried” Captain America, the immortal super soldier, had turned into Steve Rogers, the anxious boyfriend, almost instantly

 

“Stark. Always lovely to hear from you”

 

“Likewise one-eye. Anyway Steve, good news is that the “possible” attack in New York is actually happening”

 

“And Stark?”

 

“The bad news is that it's happening now and I'm the target”

 

Fury immediately turned around from the map to look at the Captain, but there was only an empty place.

 

“Goddamn Stark. He messes up everything, even without knowing it”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos, criticism and comments would be lovely :)


	2. Chapter 2

The agents lining the corridors of SHIELD headquarters only saw a blur of blue as Steve Rogers ran past in an attempt to reach Stark Tower as quickly as possible. The bike was out of the question, it would go nowhere in the traffic. Instead, Steve ran towards the hanger where the quinjets were kept. Once he reached the hanger, he sprinted to the nearest jet and ran to the controls. This was when he realised that he had no idea on how to fly the quinjet. Steve slammed his fist on the control panel in anger, but before he could stand up and run to the garage, a finger tapped him on the shoulder.

 

“Coulson gave me a heads up as to what's happening, but you won't get far without a pilot. Need a ride?”

 

Steve stood up and walked away from the chair, leaving room for Agent Barton to sit and begin takeoff.

 

“Thank you Clint”

 

“Not a problem Steve. We figured you might need a little bit of help rescuing your toy boy” Agent Romanov replied, walking up the ramp

 

In any other situation, Steve would have rolled his eyes or made a comment in his defence (because Captain America just does not do sass) but he remained silent.

 

“How long to you reckon it'll take?”

 

“Normally around 20 minutes” Clint responded

 

“You have 10”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Tony jumped up from behind his private bar to take a shot before returning back down again, without checking to see if he hit his target or not. It didn't really matter though, the robots only landed on the penthouse floor (JARVIS checked) and the doors had been locked, so they couldn't escape anywhere. Unsurprisingly, JARVIS was right (as usual), Tony Stark was the target of the weird robot things.

 

Tony was intrigued at the design of the robots before he realised that there was no design to them at all, they only had a basic frame with guns attached.

 

“Anthony Stark” a robotic voice sounded

 

_So these guys were sentient. Great._

 

“You will drop your weapon and come with us. You will become an asset to the HYDRA cause by joining us, be it voluntarily or not”

 

_Not only were they sentient, but they were also Nazi. Brilliant. Steve would laugh at this._

 

“Anthony Stark, you heard me. Drop your weapon and reveal yourself before I order my robots to kill you”

 

_Right. Not sentient. One of them just has a speaker. Still not good._

 

Tony waited for a few seconds to control his breathing before launching up again, jumping over the bar into the middle of the penthouse living room and firing several times at the robots. A few were knocked down but then all of them rushed at Tony, surrounding him and aiming their weapons directly at him.

 

_Even worse._

 

“You are outmatched Stark. One. Last. Chance. Come with us or die”

 

Wait. This whole time, Tony had been using the repulsors on 5% power because 10% was so much that it sent him into the roof. Steve thought it was a chemistry experiment gone wrong. Bigger percentage means more power, which in turn means a bigger blast.

 

Tony looked down, before yelling “JARVIS 20%”

 

The robots immediately shoved the ends of their guns closer to Tony, but it was too late. He leapt up and aimed his repulsors at the robots, firing. The power was so great that it sent him backwards into the wall. A large amount of robots hit the floor, sparks flying in all directions. Before the other robots could react, Tony fired again from his crumpled position on the floor, destroying the other robots. What was the speaker delivering death threats was now a bunch of wires and scraps.

 

Tony sighed in relief, thankful that he'd escaped with his life. He'd need more training though. That's okay. Wait. What was that?

 

He could see a large jet as black as the (dark) night approaching from the distance. The cavalry has arrived. Wait. Steve can't see me look like this. He’ll never let me fight if he knew I did it without proper training.

 

“JARVIS, deactivate lockdown and open the workshop immediately”

 

He immediately ran towards the workshop, the doors opening for him controlled by JARVIS as it understood the urgency of the situation. He tore into the room and said with obvious worry in his voice

 

“Lock the doors now!”

 

The loud clicking of the lock could be heard throughout the workshop, but that did nothing for Tony’s nerves. He couldn't use the bots to help him take off the suit, it would take too long. Instead, Tony pulled at the emergency release switches to allow him to escape. The suit was then thrown into the secret compartment in the workshop and locked. Seconds after the suit was safely put away, a loud knock echoed throughout the room.

 

“Tony!”

 

~ ~ ~

 

The quinjet had only just landed before Steve ran out, quickly followed by Natasha. They entered a room filled with wrecked metal and wires. Steve looked around in urgency, looking for any sign of his lover. Clint soon joined and helped in searching through the robot skeletons.

 

“Steve, he's not here. Let's keep looking. Where might he feel safe enough to hide?” Natasha asked quietly

 

Steve wasted no time with his response

 

“The workshop. Quickly, follow me”

 

The words were their only warning as he ran off almost immediately after saying them. Natasha and Clint followed wordlessly through the maze of corridors and stairs until they reached stairs leading downwards. Steve’s pace slowed down and his breath was held. The SHEILD agents began to worry that Stark was not there, until Steve breathed a sigh of relief and said loudly

 

“Tony!”

 

He pointed excitedly at the figure in the room from the glass wall, who was standing in the corner of the room almost suspiciously. Natasha frowned at Tony’s expression which was filled with worry before looking relieved. There was a loud click, and Steve pushed open the heavy door before making his way to Tony, a wide grin on his face.

 

“Oh Tony, I'm so glad you're okay. You don't know how worried I was” the end of the sentence sounded muted as by that point, Steve had reached Tony and had buried his face into his shoulder, arms wrapped possessively around Tony’s body.

 

“I'm glad to see you to Capsicle” Tony said, his lips curving into a smile

 

While this was going on, Natasha stood by the door with no expression while Clint, who was stood beside her, mimicked vomiting

 

“You two are just too cute, it's making Clint vomit, poor soul”

 

“If there's any poor soul in this world, it's Coulson” Tony retorted

 

That caused Natasha to snort while Clint’s head shot back up, glaring at Tony, who rolled his eyes.

 

Steve pulled out of the tight hug, his arms still loosely wrapped around Tony’s waist and gazed into Tony’s eyes.

 

“I would hate for you to have been hurt Tony, I'm glad you did the right thing by staying here. It's all my fault anyway Tony, so I apologise”

 

“Steve, stop being stupid, it's not your fault. These HYDRA loons did-“

 

“HYDRA?!?” Steve said in surprise, jumping back from Tony as if he were poisonous. _Clearly mentioning HYDRA wasn't a good idea_

 

“Yes”

 

“Oh no”

 

“What's wrong?” Tony asked, his face showing confusion, and his body walking towards Steve

 

“They must know who I am” Steve moved back again

 

“Steve, they probably targeted me just because-“ Tony said, a little bit or irritation in his voice

 

“There's no choice, I need to leave you. That's the only way you'll be safe” Steve said reluctantly and walked out of the workshop, leaving gaping mouths and shocked expressions behind

 

_Wait. What?!?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos, criticism and comments would be lovely :)


	3. Chapter 3

****

_Why would Steve break up with me over a break in?_

  
Tony thought about this for a few moments before running after his grief-stricken boyfriend. At first he couldn't find Steve, but then he discovered the super soldier sat in their bedroom, packing his belongings silently.

  
“Steve, the apple of my eye, the light of my life, please put the picture down” Tony whispered

  
Steve had been glancing at a photo of Steve and Tony in happier days, on their first date. Tony had arranged a picnic and bought Steve ice cream, which he'd never had before. The photo showed Tony smiling shyly, holding the ice cream cone that Steve was eating from. The photo was taken by a young reporter, Peter Parker, who didn't have the heart to publish such an intimate moment and had instead given the photo to Tony, which he thanked Peter for heartily. Peter was now working for Stark Industries so it didn't matter that he didn't get the scoop of the year.

  
Steve placed the picture into the little box and stood up, turning around to look at Tony with red-eyes, breaking Tony’s heart.

  
“Steve please listen to me, you're not breaking up with me over this. It wasn't-“

  
“Tony” Steve whispered, his voice breaking

  
“Please babe listen, they targeted me because of who I am, not because of you”

  
“No. It was HYDRA. They knew. It was my fault. I couldn't protect you, I wasn't there”

  
“STEVE PLEASE. They wanted me for my intelligence. Do you forget who you're dating?”

  
“How could I?” Steve chuckled sadly “I'm dating the man I love, Tony Stark”

  
Tony’s heart rate increased at Steve’s statement

  
“I love you too Steve. But you forget, not only am I your toy boy” Steve made a sound something like a laugh before remembering his current situation and continued his silence

  
“I am a genius. I am the brains behind a billion-dollar company. I know how to create arc reactors, I know how to build the most dangerous weapons known to man. This makes me an enemy or an ally. I've lived through countless attempts to kidnap me and kill me, so I'm not a damsel in distress” Tony ranted

  
“But HYDRA didn't try then. And don't you find it a bit funny that they only try to get you when you start dating me?” Steve pointed out before turning his back on Tony and resuming to pack his belongings, assuming Tony would make no further argument. How naïve of him.

  
“They've only become more active since your melting Capsicle because you've been hell bent on shutting them down. They've realised “oh no, someone's trying to shut us down. We need help. Let's get the best brains in the business to help us”. Who could that be I wonder?” Tony said mockingly

  
“Justin Hammer?” Steve joked

  
Tony laughed sharply at Steve’s weak attempt to joke

  
“I consider that an insult Steven, you should know that”

  
“Noted”

  
Tony sighed, annoyed that Steve just wasn't getting the point. His anger got the better of him, and caused him to say something which he'd later regret

  
“Are you really being so arrogant?”

  
Steve’s head whipped around so much it must have hurt

  
“What.” Steve said with an icy tone in his voice, his intense gaze focused on Tony

  
“You assume that everything that happens to me is related to you”

  
“Not everything. This is linked though”

  
“NO IT ISN’T. They wanted me because I'm a genius, not because I'm the trophy boyfriend of Captain bloody America”

  
Steve flinched. Tony began to realise the effects of him words and started to make amends by attempting to convince Steve another way

  
“Please Steve listen to me” Tony begged “I need you”

  
Steve looked doubtful

  
“I don't think so. I'm only endangering you. I won't let anything happen to you again”

  
Tony was shocked. How could one person be so dense?

  
“Steve, please listen, it. Was. Nothing. To. Do. With. You.”

  
“What if it will be in the future? What if they realise and try to kidnap you again”

  
“Then we'll defeat them together”

  
“No, I won't risk you, not after Bucky”

  
Steve had mentioned Bucky very few times, referring to him as his best friend, never giving  
an explanation as to what happened to him. Tony guessed that what Steve had just said was confirmation of the fate of Bucky. Death.

  
“So what if you leave me? What if I'm attacked again?”

  
Steve looked dazed for a moment, as if contemplating something, then his eyes widened and asked suddenly

  
“Tony, what happened to the robots in the living room”

  
“You didn't answer my question”

  
“You didn't answer mine” Steve retorted

  
“JARVIS has an emergency protocol, causing the overload of any electrical equipment in any room. I merely set it off when I realised the only visitors were robots” Tony lied

  
Steve looked doubtful for a second, but then shrugged.

  
“You have that protocol to protect you. I'll also ask Director Fury for a pair of agents to guard the entrances to the penthouse”

  
“Oh, so I'll have a curfew? When do you want me home mommy?” Tony asked Steve mockingly

  
Steve sighed

  
“It's for your protection. Goodbye Tony. I love you and I'm doing this for you” Steve said quietly, picking up the box and walking past Tony

  
Tony stopped Steve by holding onto his arm

  
“Please don't leave me, I love you” Tony said quietly, looking into Steve’s beautiful blue eyes

  
A tear dropped from Steve’s eye onto the box he was holding

  
“I know Tony. Maybe in the future. Goodbye”

And with that, Steve had left the room, Tony’s arm reaching out into thin air. He remained like that for a few minutes, until after he heard the hum of the quinjet and saw it fly back out across New York, back to the headquarters. Tony finally lowered him arm and retreated quietly back into the workshop. Nobody was there.

  
Steve had hated Tony drinking, but he was no longer here to stop him.

  
Tony walked to the secret alcohol cabinet, where he saved his precious alcohol only drunk in certain situations.

  
“Sir?” JARVIS asked

  
Tony ignored JARVIS, instead focusing his attention on what strength of vodka he would like

  
“Sir please, Captain Rogers would disapprove”

  
_Does JARVIS realise that saying that would only make it worse?_

  
“He doesn't care any more JARVIS, leave me alone”

  
There was no more to be heard from the AI. Tony reached out for the most expensive (and strong) bottle of vodka, grabbed another bottle nearby and sank slowly to the floor. He opened the bottle and began to drink. Then another bottle was opened. Then another. By the time Tony had opened 4 bottles and was ready to find a fifth, he slipped into unconsciousness, where he was taunted with dreams of a certain blonde hair, blue-eyed super soldier called Steven Grant Rogers…

  
~ ~ ~

  
Pepper Potts, the personal secretary to Anthony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries, was waiting on the confirmation that it was okay to return into Stark Tower when she received a phone call.

  
“Hello?”

  
“Miss Potts” the AI butler responded

  
“Ah JARVIS, I do apologise for being late, but I'm still not allowed in due to the attack. I know Mr Stark will be annoyed that I have not brought his paperwork but-“ Pepper responded as if it was normal to be receiving calls from a computer program

  
“Miss Potts, forgive me, but I did not call regarding the paperwork. I am afraid that Mr Stark is in no fit condition to be working”

  
“What's wrong?” Pepper asked, suddenly worried

  
“Captain Rogers has terminated their relationship this morning after the attack” JARVIS informed her

  
“Oh no. How much has Tony drank?”

  
Pepper did not know much about the mysterious boyfriend of Tony Stark, she wasn't even supposed to know he had a boyfriend until she walked in on them half naked on the sofa in the living room. She only knew that Captain Rogers, or whatever his name was, meant a lot to Tony. This angered Pepper a lot, who felt rather protective of her boss.

  
“Four bottles of the vodka”

  
“Get me in there now, and call an ambulance. He's going to need his stomach pumped”

  
“Yes Miss Potts”

  
The call was ended and Pepper immediately began to fight her way through the crowd to the door, which opened for her. She mentally thanked JARVIS and ran to the elevator, while the crowd still trapped outside were left to wonder.

  
Pepper made it to Tony, who was no longer conscious. She glared at the photo of the Captain on the workbench, showing him drawing one of the worker bots in the lab, Dummy. Never had she hated another human more than in that moment. The medics managed to arrive after 10 minutes and carted Tony away to hospital, a worried Pepper following in their footsteps. 


	4. Chapter 4

Before returning to SHIELD headquarters, the quinjet was flown to a nearby location (classified) so Clint and Natasha (not Steve, he was in no fit condition to be working in the field) to interrogate some HYDRA hostages captured from their last mission. It took them a few hours before one hostage cracked and explained that the attack was purely for the purpose of collecting Tony Stark to work for HYDRA against SHIELD.

  
Steve was silent on the journey back to SHIELD headquarters, his little cardboard box filled with 11 months of glorious memories of his time with Tony sitting on his lap. Natasha and Clint made no attempt to talk to him, which he was grateful for, but he could feel their disappointment radiate from them. He knew they disapproved of Steve for breaking up with Tony, but he did not need their judgement. If they were in a similar situation, they would do the same he though. _But if I had seen them do that, I would convince them otherwise. What a hypocrite I am._

  
Steve sighed quietly, which caused Natasha, who was sat opposite him, to raise her head up to look at him with a gaze that could kill a man.

  
“Do you know what you've done?”

  
“I'm protecting Tony” Steve said, but by this point, it was almost as if he was trying to convince himself of that fact more than Natasha

  
“Tony Stark doesn't need protecting if he has you”

  
“I won't always be there” Steve pointed out

  
Natasha tutted

  
“You've broken his heart Steve. I expected more of you”

  
Steve shot up, causing the box to fall from his lap onto the ground, the smashing of the glass in the ice cream photo echoing throughout the plane. Steve glanced towards the image, of a smiling and happy Tony, before raising his head to look at Natasha

  
“You think this hasn't broken my heart? I love him Natasha, more than you could ever imagine, doing this was the hardest thing I've ever done!” Steve shouted

  
“If you loved him, you would have never left him” Natasha responded coolly

  
“Sometimes, you love someone enough to set them free. Would you ever keep someone by your side if you knew they would be hurt? Would you?”

  
By this point, Clint had wandered to the area of the plane where they were arguing. Steve had not noticed the plane landing.

  
“Steve, Tony is more than a civilian. He's an important asset to SHIELD and is your boyfriend” Clint started

  
Steve flinched when Clint said “is”

  
“Fine, maybe he's not any more. However, he wanted to know how to protect himself so he could stay with you. Also, how do you know that he doesn't feel like that about you as well? Phil may be a very capable agent, but I worry about him sometimes” Clint pointed out

  
“This attack had nothing to do with you Steve, the HYDRA hostage proved that. They don't know that you're alive and they wanted Tony for his genius. We know that. You're just being proud to go back on your word” Natasha explained

  
Steve glanced between the two of them, before walking out of the jet, followed by the pair of agents, into the hanger where Fury and Coulson were waiting for them. Clint looked directly at Steve as if to say “See! I'm capable of looking after myself, yet Phil still worries”. Natasha rolled her eyes as if to say “Sure…..you remember that time when….”.

  
“Captain, I assume that the threat was dealt with” Fury asked

  
“The threat was terminated before we arrived sir” Steve responded

  
“Along with something else” Clint muttered, only to be shoved by Natasha and glared at by Coulson

  
“Care to give any details?”

  
Steve paled and began stammering

  
“Er-well-um”

  
“Steve threw a hissy fit at Tony and broke up with him” Natasha said

  
“I did not!” Steve snapped, a childish tone in his voice

  
Everyone looked at Steve with intrigued looks

  
“I became worried that I couldn't protect Tony due to being under the impression that the HYDRA attack was my fault. Because of this, I made the decision to cease our relationship until the HYDRA threat has been terminated” Steve reported

  
“You could have consulted Tony on this. Talked about it. That's what normal couples do” Coulson suggested

  
“He would insist that I stayed, which I cannot do to him. That would put him in more danger on my behalf. I couldn't do that to him” Steve responded

  
“But you could break his heart and cause him to nearly die of alcohol poisoning” Fury retorted

  
Steve’s eyes went wide at Fury’s statement

  
“No, please no” Steve whispered quietly

  
Coulson pulled out a beige file and gave it to Fury, his face grave

  
“Here is the medical report. Now go to your quarters Captain and await further instructions” Fury ordered

  
Steve looked like he was going to disobey, before answering sadly “Yes sir”. He took the offered file and left the hanger to find his room

  
~ ~ ~

  
_Why does my head hurt? Oh yeah. Steve._

  
Tony raised his head, which caused his head to throb and his vision to blur, forcing him to lower his head on the cheap sanitised pillow once more.

  
“Tony?” A quiet and meek voiced asked

  
Tony smiled at the sound of the voice, it was his trusted assistant Pepper Potts

  
“Hey Pepper”

  
“You really worried me, they had to pump your stomach you know. You've been knocked out for a couple of hours” Pepper informed him

  
“I know. I'm sorry Pep…” Tony started before Pepper interrupted him

  
“Tony, I know what happened. JARVIS told me. But please, refrain from turning to alcohol in the future as a solution. It isn't. It just makes the people who actually care about you worried. JARVIS has informed your old friend Lieutenant James Rhodes of your recent….situation and has taken personal leave. He will arrive tomorrow afternoon”

  
“Thanks. Right, all I need now is some peace and quiet, thanks Pep” Tony decided

  
“Okay Tony. Just remember, this won't get you out of paperwork for long” Pepper said then winked at him before leaving the small hospital room

  
_Everything was going so well. Why did HYDRA have to ruin everything as usual?_ Tony sighed, turning in the itchy, uncomfortable bed. _I suppose Steve had a point, he's lost a loved one, it makes sense to be protective of the next. Sure, I'd be seriously worried if a partner was attacked by my enemy if it was my fault, but it wasn't! It wasn't Steve’s fault! He couldn't understand! Why couldn't we talk it over, maybe reach a compromise while still dating?_

  
Well it didn't matter now, Steve had broken up with him and there was nothing he could do about it. The thought of being without Steve was enough to cause tears, but the fact that he would continue to see Steve around SHIELD headquarters would be the final straw. _I'll see him meet a fellow agent, who can actually protect his or her self, they'll fall in love and get married and have lots of babies_ , Tony thought bitterly to himself.

  
_You know what_? Tony thought immediately, his mood brightening, _screw Steve! Screw Steve Goddamn Rogers_ (Tony reckoned that Goddamn, not Grant, was Steve’s middle name. Steve thought he was being serious and proved it with his birth certificate. He still doesn't have a sense of humour) _and his perfect teeth, his perfect hair, perfect eyes. Screw the super soldier that had fought in WW2 but had not given his boyfriend the opportunity to defend himself. Well, when you say it like that, it just sounds stupid._

  
The whole reason Tony decided to build the suit was that he could help fight crime with Steve! _Well……if I can't fight crime with Steve…..I guess I will have to be the crime fighting against Steve,_ Tony thought with a wide grin on his face. _If he won't let me help him, I'll hinder him all I can. He thought I couldn't defend myself. Just watch me._

  
_I don't need Steve Rogers!_

  
~ ~ ~

  
Steve lay on his itchy, uncomfortable bed in silence. No worried assistants or nurses tended to him like with Tony, he was more alone than ever. After his break up with Tony, he had become the most alone person in the world, he thought sadly to himself.

  
_It made sense at the time, that HYDRA, my enemies, would target Tony. If they had had him, then he could have been used as leverage against me. There are people within SHIELD that work for HYDRA, I know it! I just need to find the moles._

  
However, this wasn't anything to do with Steve. _Sometimes I forget the merits of my own boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend_ , he thought bitterly. _Tony was a genius, but he could be so foolish and clumsy in Steve’s presence! With their relationship, it was always about Steve. Tony constantly asked about missions, and Steve told him, despite not being allowed. He did it anyway. Steve never asked about Tony’s day. Tony was content to listen to Steve rant about why the cafeteria needed to start serving poptarts_ (Steve had an addiction) _or how Coulson and Clint are perfect for each other_ (they didn't have the problems Steve and Tony had though).

  
_I've been in the wrong all this time_ , Steve realised. _Tony isn't fragile. He's strong! Just like iron! It was his genius that had engineered JARVIS, which had protected him today_. Steve still wasn't too sure that Tony had been telling the truth, but he decided to let that slip. _It doesn't matter, he survived, that's all that matters. Tony is all that matters. And I let him go_.

  
_If I gave him training, how to protect himself, maybe I would be okay with him being alone in future. What about more emergency JARVIS protocols? Some SHIELD guards, just in case?_ As Steve’s head brimmed with ideas on how to protect Tony, his heart thudding at one hundred miles an hour at the mere mention of the man, he made a final realisation.

  
_I need Tony Stark._


	5. Chapter 5

Not long after Tony made the revelation that he no longer needed his super soldier any more and that he should turn to crime (to prove Steve wrong, because that's definitely logical), he fell asleep.

  
Of course, he decides to go against the law and his body’s first action is to fall asleep. He needed it anyway.

  
Tony woke up the day after, in the afternoon, only 40 minutes before Rhodey was due to arrive. _No offence_ , Tony thought as he raised his arm to wipe the sleep from his eyes, _but now is not the time to see Rhodey. I need to plan. In peace. But how will I do that?_

  
He suddenly came up with another totally logical idea that seemed to be a good idea (but he would later find out that it wasn't such a brilliant idea) – go “missing” for a few days. He could escape the hospital before Rhodey arrived, then travel in secret somewhere…… _but where?_

  
Where can Tony Stark remain anonymous? Right where they wouldn't look; his own home on the other side of the country of course. JARVIS can help cover if needed. _It's settled then…..I'm off to Malibu! I've missed those beaches. Not so much the girls._

_  
First…..I need to escape._

  
Tony stood up, finding out that he could finally move without feeling like he was going to puke. Finding the clothes he wore yesterday in the corner of the room, he put them on and used the pillows in the bed to make it look like he was still there. _It always works in the movies, so why wouldn't it work for me?_

  
He hobbled slightly to the door, opened it slightly and peered out. Nobody there. He tiptoed out quietly and started to walk along the corridor until his heart started to speed up rapidly at the noise of footsteps nearby. Tony immediately opened the door closest to him and ducked in, closing the door quietly which muffled the sounds of chatter moving outside the door.

  
Looking around the room he was stood in, Tony noticed that he was in a sort of control room. Without any guards. _Clearly this place hadn't been Stark-Proofed. Silly Pepper. Who lets a Stark into a hospital without certain....adjustments?_ He walked to the nearest panel and pressed a button at random. Nothing happened. Then he noticed a small, laminated map in the corner, the kind that pointed out what would happen in the event of a fire and where the fire escapes were. _That might be a good idea actually_ , Tony thought, a plan beginning to form.

  
The map was taken down with ease and stared at by Tony, who was trying to work out his nearest fire exit or the fire exit that had the most discreet exit. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be one that wasn't in plain sight, so that idea was no longer up for consideration.

  
 _Damn. Wait....what about hidden stairwells?_ Tony had seen them on building plans a few times, who knew, there might be one here. _Hah_! There was a stairwell out of sight not far from the control room (more like glorified cupboard, Tony was beginning to feel claustrophobic) that allowed you to exit in an alleyway. _Perfect_. How would Tony walk around the hospital without attracting attention though? He'd been lucky with finding the control room (glorified cupboard) but next time, maybe not.

  
Tony glanced in the corner for a second at a lump that at first had looked like a bunch of rags, but was actually a navy hoodie. With sunglasses! _Just what I need_ , Tony thought while smiling as he pulled the hoodie on (with the hood over his head, of course) and carefully placed the sunglasses over his chocolate-coloured eyes. _Steve used to say they looked like chocolate…._

_  
Stop! Think about escaping, not Steve. There's time for reminiscing later._

  
After memorising the route to take to the stairwell, Tony was ready. He opened the door marginally to see if anyone was outside. Once again, there was nobody there. _I'm starting to think that this hospital is like a ghost town_. He stepped out of the door, and turned left.

  
He passed doctors, nurses and surgeons on his journey to the stairwell but nobody questioned him or recognised him. This gave heart to the worried inventor, who just wanted to start his plans instead of being lectured in a place that had offered no comfort to him over the years. Before he knew it, he had reached the stairwell.

  
_Is anyone around? Nope, let's go!_

  
Tony initially struggled to open the door, but he managed and took care going down the stairs due to the lack of light. God I love hidden stairwells. Kinda like hidden passages. I really need a hidden passage somewhere. Once he reached the bottom of the stairwell and had pushed the door open to reveal daylight, he finally realised

  
_So what am I going to do now?_

 

Tony checked his pockets, even the pockets of the hoodie, but they gave him nothing. Not even a cent. Sighing, he moved forwards to leave the alleyway when he heard a loud commotion outside.

  
“Guards, start looking, he may be anywhere” an anxious voice ordered loudly

  
He knew that voice. _Rhodey. Dammit._ Suddenly footsteps started to approach the alleyway where Tony was hiding. _Oh come on._ Then Tony had an idea. This time, it was actually a sensible idea. Well, kind of. Filled with excitement, Tony rushed towards the door which was still open and sprinted inside, closing the door after himself. His feet, while still careful, raced up the steps and without hesitation, lead him to open the nearest door. As soon as he opened the door, he stopped for a second as he realised that he had entered a busy floor. But there was no time to stop.

  
_Ah! There!_

  
Tony ran quickly to the small red box and smashed it with his hand. The blaring alarm sounded, causing everyone to bring their hands to their ears.

  
“FIRE”

  
~ ~ ~

Steve was sitting in the mess room (that's what he called it, much to everyone's amusement at his old slang. If only they knew), thinking (as per usual. Honestly, does the man do anything else?) when the news came on. Everyone glanced up at the news, but not Steve. He didn't need to be reminded that there was always going to be blood, soil, sweat and tears every day on the news and he couldn't prevent it, whether he liked it or not. Looking at the news made him almost human, it made him realise he couldn't do everything. He couldn't save everyone. Today was a difference. Today was a day that he needed the news.

  
Everyone was looking at it now, some people chuckling, others looking in horror. The few people that truly knew Steve Rogers were looking at him in pity. Steve wasn't aware that Natasha was in the room until she tapped him on the shoulder.

  
“Steve. Look at the news” she told him gently

 

“You know I don't like them” Steve mumbled before eating another bite of his mundane ham sandwich, just like he ate every day.

  
“Steve. You need to see it. Now”

  
To humour Natasha, he looked at the screen. What he saw shook him with horror, terror, and most of all, worry. Steve stood up so sharply that he became slightly dizzy. That feeling was slightly better than the nausea he was feeling at the same moment.

  
BILLIONAIRE PLAYBOY TONY STARK MISSING

  
“Tony Stark, the playboy CEO of Stark Industries, has been officially reported missing today at a hospital in New York after being admitted due to a critical alcohol consumption yesterday afternoon. He was reportedly being visited by an old friend, Lieutenant James Rhodes of the US Air Force, when he was found to be absent from his room. A search was organised, but postponed due to a fire alarm, which was later found to be false and set off by an unknown man. Some people believe that the alarm was set off deliberately by Stark himself, but eyewitness accounts all disagree due to the chaos caused by the alarm. All patients, bar Stark, have been accounted for. A city-wide search for Stark will begin this evening, once we are assured that Stark is not hiding within the immediate area. More news later”

  
Once the article had finished, with some rather rude comments from the reporter and news hosts, the mess room returned to normal with its usual loud noise. Everyone was talking too much with each other to notice the one distressed agent being comforted by the most dangerous woman in the country. Only Clint Barton, who could be equally as dangerous, found it amusing.

  
“Steve, you're having a panic attack, please calm down” Natasha urged Steve

  
He had noticed a lack of breath and fuzzy vision for the past few minutes, but Steve had not associated that with the possibility of a panic attack. He was too focused on Tony. After sitting down and controlling his breathing for a few minutes, then did he feel better. Once Natasha was satisfied that her job was done and stopped helping him, did he say

  
“Since Tony is a valuable asset” his tone sounded almost disgusted at the word “asset” but he continued with his question “I assume that SHIELD will be carrying out an investigation into his disappearance?”

  
“Yes, you know that Steve” Clint confirmed, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion

  
“If I promise not to be emotionally compromised, will I be allowed to assist in the investigation?”

  
Natasha and Clint were silent for a few seconds, considering what Steve had said.

  
“I don't see why not. Besides, we will need you for confirmation of Stark’s identity on the security tapes” Natasha pointed out

  
“But one reaction” Clint warned

  
“And you're back here” Natasha finished off

  
“I understand. Now let's get to the hospital” Steve said, in full Captain America mode, getting up and starting to leave the mess room, but was the confused as to why the “stabby twins” (as dubbed by most of SHIELD) weren't following. Steve turned around and saw them standing by the other door

  
“Hold your horses Cap” Clint said with a smile

  
“We’ll need to clear it with Fury first” Natasha reminded him, a small smile on her face

  
“Oh. Of course”

  
And with that, Steve marched through and left the mess room through the other door, Clint giggling behind him while Natasha just rolled her eyes. As usual.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! Just to compensate, the chapter will be a little bit longer than usual. And Steve Rogers finally meets up with Pepper Potts. Imagine the results :) 
> 
> *edited 12/06/17 - realised that Steve was being bullied a bit too much and lacked support (thanks for pointing this out anon!) so it's been rewritten so Steve realises he's not so alone after all.

Tony, after his plan (it was dubbed “Escape the Rhodey Bear” in his head), was forced to walk back to Stark Tower due to having no money or way of contacting Happy (who he could wholeheartedly trust). Even if he had had the money, he might have been spotted, leading him back to square one. Essentially, his plan (“Escape the Rhodey Bear”) was just one big game of snakes and ladders. But with no ladders. And lots of snakes. That led him back to the start.

  
It took Tony over two hours to walk back to the Tower, but when he arrived, he realised that he had not planned how to get into the tower without alerting people as to his presence. He walked around the Tower, looking at the official entrance, the discreet entrance and the garage entrance. Unsurprisingly, all of these entrances were manned by security guards with very bored expressions on their faces and guns on their hips.

  
_I can't play with these guys, I pay them not to mess around. Dammit Stark, the one time you need to get around guards but you've made sure they stay there. Brilliant work._

  
As Tony insulted his intelligence under his breath (this did not affect his ego however, which is still the size of the sun), he began to walk back around to where he was at the front of the building when something strange happened. The guards from the garage exit had walked away.

  
_What's happening? I pay them not to do this and they do it. Oh well, I can't look a gift horse in the mouth._

  
Tony walked in, ensuring his footsteps were as quiet as possible, and hid behind the nearest pillar. Very stealthily, he peeked around both sides, but found the whole floor to be empty. _The two guards must have gone on a coffee break. Oh who am I kidding, it's New York, these guys are ex-police, they obviously went for doughnuts_. Suddenly, a loud voice sounded throughout the room

  
“Welcome home sir, but aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?” A sly, British voice asked

  
Tony Stark does not jump. Tony will deny it to his dying breath, he will insist that Tony Stark does not get scared when people surprise him by jumping. JARVIS has a totally different story and can show you a compilation of all the times he was caught off guard and jumped. That includes this current moment.

  
“JARVIS!” Tony snapped “there were other ways of informing me of your presence”

 

“But sir, you know that I am everywhere. I noticed you lurking-“

  
“I do not lurk!”

  
“Lurking outside of the garage, so I decided to relieve the security guards and allow you access to your own tower”

  
“I swear I will reprogram you to make you do nothing but herd Dummy all day. Imagine how fun that would be” Tony threatened

  
“I can imagine sir” JARVIS responded dryly

  
The sound that came out of Tony Stark’s mouth was definitely not a hiss (it was) according to him.

  
“Now sir, would you be as kind as to inform me why you are here hissing at me”

  
“I AM NOT HISSING”

  
“Instead of residing in hospital with Lieutenant Rhodes and Miss Potts?” JARVIS finished

  
“I'll explain when I'm in the penthouse”

  
“Of course sir. The lift is waiting for you”

  
Tony turned on his toes to face his left, where the open doors were. He walked in, the doors closing behind him. He noticed that as the doors were closing, the guards were beginning to approach again to resume their duty. He was silent on his journey to the top floor, collapsing on the nearest sofa, peeling off and throwing his shoes away, when the doors opened onto the floor of his private penthouse.

 

“Ugh. I hate walking JARVIS”

 

“I have noticed sir” was the sarcastic response. Tony swore that only the British could sound sarcastic while being sincere. Or maybe it was just JARVIS being sassy and sarcastic all the time. Probably the latter. I've rubbed off on him a bit.

  
Tony just groaned in response. An approximate translation would be along the lines of “leave me alone I just want to crawl into a pit and hide”. JARVIS just responded with

  
“So sir, you offered an explanation?”

  
“To start off with, you know how much I hate hospitals”

  
JARVIS hesitated, already knowing why

  
“Yes I do sir”

  
“I really don't need to be lectured there on what to do and what not to do. I've had enough of those lectures anyway” Tony muttered, starting to feel the need for a drink despite having his stomach recently pumped within the last 24 hours

  
After the death of Howard and Maria Stark, Obadiah “Obie” Stane took Tony under his wing, giving him “advice” that would eventually tarnish and ruin his reputation, transforming the young Tony into a playboy that had the brains to wipe out millions with inventions. As long as Tony kept delivering the plans, Stane did not care what happened to him in his spare time. Luckily, a young woman who was very skilled in business named Virginia Potts saw the lack of money and was able to connect the dots, putting Stane in prison. What scared Tony was that Stane had been planning to kill Tony merely weeks before Potts’ discovery.

  
“Even so, Miss Potts and Lieutenant Rhodes should know”

  
“That leads me on to my next point, I've had an idea. A good one”

  
“Pray tell sir” JARVIS said, the sarcasm dripping from his robotic voice

  
“The whole point of the suit was to fight crime with Steve, correct”?

  
“To my knowledge, yes sir”

  
“Well…..since it is very unlikely that I will ever want to fight crime with him, I may as well become the crime fighting him”

  
“Sir?” JARVIS asked in confusion

  
“I created the suit to help fight crime with Steve, but he broke up with me because I couldn't protect myself or fight. I will be proving Steve wrong by committing dangerous crimes”

  
“So…..what I understand is that you want to become a villain to prove a point? I've heard that there are easier and less dangerous ways of achieving that same goal without breaking the law”

  
“I'm offended that you would consider me a villain and not a super villain”

  
“Oh forgive me sir, could you enlighten me as to the difference between the two?”

  
“One is super, one isn't”

  
“Bravo sir, an excellent definition”

  
“Thank you. However, I can't plan here, they'll search this place soon”

  
“Very true sir, but where?”

  
“I was thinking Malibu. Get the suit bots ready, I'm going on a field trip”

  
“Is that such a wise idea, to use the suit?”

  
“I've never been known for having good ideas, I may as well not start now”

  
~ ~ ~

 

Fury had given his permission, keeping his one good eye focused on Steve as he assured Fury that he would not be emotionally compromised during his mission, which was to locate Tony Stark and return him to New York.

  
“Easy peasy, Tony always leaves a trail of destruction wherever he goes. Just follow the fires and the screaming, and we’ll find your toy boy in no time” Clint assured Steve as they walked through the corridors of the hospital

  
“Tony isn't that bad”

  
Natasha and Clint immediately halted, shooting confused looks at Steve, who blinked obliviously. After a few seconds, they began to walk again, doctors and nurses alike looking at the trio with confusion

  
“I can't tell if you were concussed when you entered a relationship with Tony Stark or you're just naïve. Tony attracts bad luck and bad attention. Have you seen his files?”

  
“I haven't actually. I didn't want to judge a character by their files” Steve said sincerely

  
“You're just too innocent. What I find ironic is that you are a veteran of World War 2 who fought Nazis, spent 70 years as a Capsicle and dated a billionaire playboy”

  
“Don't forget the genius and philanthropist” Steve said jokingly, causing Natasha to roll her eyes and for Clint to groan

  
They were just about to pass another corner, when they bumped into a pretty redhead in a suit, holding several files and wearing a tired and worried expression on her face, causing her to drop the many files. Steve immediately dropped to the ground in an effort to collect them for her.

  
“Sorry about that, I've been so distracted for the past few hours” the woman apologised collecting her files from Steve, before immediately frowning, her eyebrows furrowing

  
“I'm sorry, we should have been more aware of our surroundings, Miss…..?”

  
“Potts. Pepper Potts. And you are?”

  
~ ~ ~

  
Pepper wasn't having a great day, and being embarrassed by bumping into the SHIELD agents that were going to track down Tony was just the icing on the cake. All she needed was the cherry.

  
“Oh!” The attractive redhead said

  
“I'm Clint Barton” The blonde said, smiling as he did so,

  
“Natasha Romanov”

  
The other blonde, who looked familiar for some reason, kept quiet.

  
“Come on Steve! Be nice to the lady” Natasha prompted gently 

  
“Steve Rogers ma'am” Steve said in a clipped tone

  
_Wait. Steve Rogers._ Suddenly the memories of a topless blonde came to view as Tony apologised to Pepper many months ago and introduced her to his then boyfriend. _Now ex. Steve. Steve Rogers is the ex boyfriend of Tony Stark and is stood directly in front of me. Huh, this day has suddenly gotten so much better. He won't know what hit him._

 

~ ~ ~

 

Steve did not know what hit him. After announcing himself as Steve Rogers, there were only two seconds where Pepper connected the dots before she dropped her files and deliberately slapped Steve. Ouch.

 

  
Natasha and Clint immediately stood in front of him, almost unconsciously, as if they were protecting Steve from an attacker. Natasha thought grimly that they probably were. _She's Stark's friend, and won't take the breakup lightly. She'll probably blame Steve for the entirety of it as well. How wrong she is..._

 

 

Clint looked up and glared at Pepper

 

 

"Don't you dare do that again. What gave you the right?" Clint hissed at Pepper

 

 

  
“Because he broke my best friend’s heart. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID” Pepper shouted angrily at Steve

 

 

  
Steve moved from behind his friends and stood directly in front of Pepper, where she glared daggers at him. If looks could kill...

 

 

  
“I know what I did and I am truly sorry Pepper” Steve whispered

 

 

  
“Sorry? You don't know the meaning of the word” Pepper hissed, an angry tone to her voice

 

 

  
“I made a mistake, I know that. All I want is Tony back safely, just as much as you do”

 

 

"He had his reasons Miss Potts" Cling started, causing Pepper to aim her death glare at Clint instead. _Yikes_ , he thought. _I wonder if she learnt that from Phil._

 

 

"And despite what happened, we stand beside him. Do you really think Steve would willingly leave the boyfriend he loves?" Natasha finished, raising a valid point

 

 

 

Pepper's anger seemed to calm, or it was just no longer visible. Either way, she stopped glaring at Steve (and Clint)

 

 

  
“I find that very hard to believe. How dare SHIELD allow him to help find Tony, after all he's done” the latter half of the statement aimed at Natasha and Clint rather than Steve, her tone civilised and professional, with a sharp edge to it

 

 

  
“Captain Rogers assured us that he would not be emotionally compromised during our mission. And it is not your place to judge whether he tells the truth or not, you must believe him” Natasha explained

 

 

  
“Don't you get it? He” Pepper said while pointing at Steve “is the reason that you are on this mission? Because when you, Steve Rogers, broke Tony’s heart by saying he wasn't good enough for you, causing him to drink too much, leading to a worried JARVIS calling me saying my boss needs a hospital. And then he went AWOL, meaning it's now your job to find him”

 

 

 

Natasha had been quietly brimming with anger, but could no longer hold it. She exploded, saying 

 

 

 

"Miss Potts, you do not understand, so do not pretend to understand. Yes, some poor decisions have been made, with bad consequences, but they were not intended and therefore you cannot fully pin the blame on one man's shoulders, especially since that man is already carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders" 

 

 

  
“I was worried. I thought that I was posing a risk towards Tony, and since I love him, I didn't want any harm to come to him. I have realised that now and am truly sorry, but I expect no forgiveness. All I want is Tony returned safely” Steve explained quietly, shocked at the support his friends were giving him.

 

 

 

_I guess I didn't expect this kind of support, especially because of what I've done. Maybe, I have more friends and allies than I realised. With their support, maybe, just maybe, I can fix this..._

 

 

 

Steve couldn't tell, but he could have sworn that Pepper softened for a second, her gaze filled with pity, before she said

 

 

 

“Find him. Please. Then either stay in his life and work it out or get out. He can't handle a heart broken twice" 

 

 

  
And with that, she picked up her files and continued walking along the abandoned corridor. Natasha and Clint gave Steve a little nudge with a gentle smile, to indicate that they were going to resume moving, which Steve did so. However, he remained distant up until they reached the control room.

 

 

  
When they entered, Steve collapsed on the floor and broke into tears.

 

 

Natasha kneeled down on the floor beside Steve and whispered in his ears softly 

 

 

"Steve, no matter what, we will be there to support you. We know you made a rash decision, but it's obvious you wish to change it, so we will help and support you, just like teammates should. You with me Cap?" 

 

 

Clint joined the pair sitting on the ground, and abruptly said

 

 

"Hey Steve, you know, we're bros for life right? That means we support you, even if you make questionable choices. Now. How about we go find that toy boy of yours?" 

 

 

Of course Clint managed to ruin the moment. He was rewarded with a quick kick. 

 

 

"Ow Nat!"

 

 

For for the first time that day, Steve managed a watery smile. 

 

 

_I'm not so alone after all. But I still miss him._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! Schools been pretty busy and stuff has caused a lot of stress, but I'm back now. I'll try to update regularly, on the weekends. Thanks for being patient :)

Tony whooped as he did a somersault in the air, laughing as he performed other tricks. He had been able to do so many incredible things, due to the perks of being a billionaire, but nothing would beat flying. It was incredible! People had dreamed about it for so long, and it was now a reality for Tony.

 

He had been flying for only an hour and a half, but Malibu was within his sights. The shining lights from the many shops reflected in the water, but Tony was only focused on one set of lights this evening, the lights that revealed the location of Stark Mansion. One of many homes to Tony Stark.

 

Tony started to make his adjustments to the suit as he began to slow down, the mansion finally coming into view. _Why don't I land on the roof?_ , Tony thought with an infectious grin on his face. He seriously was having too much fun in this suit.

 

Tony was hovering gently over his roof, when he killed the repulsors. Bad mistake. The moment Tony’s armoured feet touched the smooth surface, it collapsed beneath him, causing him to fall straight through the roof. _Your genius knows no bounds_ , Tony thought as he crashed into the piano.

 

_Oh. I liked that piano._

 

Tony had barely any time before he realised that the piano was not his end goal; after colliding with the piano, the floor collapsed under the heavy strain, causing Tony to eventually land on one of his prize vintage cars in his workshop/garage.

 

_Oh! I really liked that car!_

 

Tony shook his head to wake up his senses, before attempting to climb out of the wreck of twisted metal that was once a car. He managed to push himself up slightly, before slamming back down. Sighing, Tony just used what was left of the working repulsors to stand himself up.

 

Once he was stood up, he started to pull off the suit and threw the pieces on the remains of the car. After Tony had been freed from his flying tin can (without using a can opener, it just wouldn't work on a gold-titanium alloy), he walked over to his workbench and said

 

“Hey JARVIS. Daddys home”

 

“I am glad that you arrived safely from New York. Your entrance leaves much to be desired though sir. Next time, I suggest using the front door” the familiar voice said

 

“I thought my entrance was classy. A bit destructive, but classy” Tony defended himself, a pretend hurt tone in his voice as he glared up at the camera in the corner

 

“So was the piano until it became your crash pad. I would have thought that a sofa or a bed would have provided more comfort as a crash pad than a piano”

 

Tony just rolled his eyes in response

 

“Now sir, I have noted several bruises on your person, due to how you are holding your body but I cannot be sure until I complete a full body scan if you would allow me that”

 

“I don't have the time JARVIS, I'm okay. Now, pull up the plans for Mark 2”

 

JARVIS did not respond to Tony’s assurance at his wellbeing, but he complied with Tony’s request and filled the workbench with a 3D model of the Mark 2 suit.

 

“The suit is good and all, but it needs some changing. Charge Dummy up and tell him I need a smoothie. We’re going to be here for a while”

 

“Of course. Dum-E starting wake up protocol in 3……2…...1……”

 

“Beep!”

 

“Hey Dummy, daddy is back. Now go and find the blender, but please don't poison me this time. Pepper wasn't best pleased. And I just can't go pissing off the woman who could take over the world. That's just stupid. NO DUMMY NOT THE…….dammit. Come here, I'll do it myself”

 

It was good to be home.

 

~ ~ ~

 

The trio of agents stayed at the hospital until nightfall reviewing the less-than-good footage at the hospital. It had been placed quite well in the main lobby, but there seemed to be hardly any camera within the hospital corridors.

 

 _At least we can confirm something_ , Steve thought, _Tony didn't leave through the main door._

 

Natasha flicked a switch, causing the screen to die on the monitor and she turned around to face her companions

 

“It doesn't look like there are many security cameras throughout the hospital, apparently they were getting the old ones changed. Perfect timing” Natasha said, a frown forming on her spotless face

 

“We could try looking around the hospital, see if we can find any indication as to which direction he travelled in” Clint suggested

 

“Look at this” Steve said, his eyes sharpening on a laminated piece of paper on the floor.

 

Up until that point, Steve had been silent as he had ignored the rest of the world to focus on his tumble of thoughts. He bent down to pick up the sheet, which had a piece of sellotape on the top.

 

“This was recently pulled off a wall” Steve murmured, flicking the tape

 

“What does it show?” Natasha asked, approaching Steve from the control panel to look at the diagrams

 

“Fire exits”

 

“So Tony could have left through a fire exit?” Clint questioned, looking over Steve’s shoulder

 

“Stark wouldn't have used that, he would have wanted a discreet exit. The fire exits are in open view. Anyone would have seen him walk out” Natasha pointed out, standing on Steve’s right

 

“You're right. That's why he used the stairwell” Steve said, using one finger to point to the stairwell not far from where they were stood

 

“Right, let's go check it out. See if we can spot anything”

 

The agents left the room, the fire escape map still caught in Steve’s tight grip, so tight that his knuckles were white. When they arrived at the stairwell, Natasha pointed at the handle, which was in the down position

 

“Looking good” Clint muttered, before pushing the door open and walking into the darkness that was the stairwell

 

Natasha followed, then Steve, running his large hands along the walls as he walked down the spiral staircase carefully. He could almost imagine Tony skipping down the steps, eager to leave the hospital. Steve knew just how much Tony hated hospitals. _I'm not surprised he left. To be honest, in times like these, he'd prefer to be back at home._

 

_Wait. Home. That's it!_

 

Steve, after his revelation, quickly hurried down the stairs, almost tripping over his own feet in the process (for a super soldier, he really is clumsy, which doesn't help with the fact that he has two left feet. No wonder Tony never took him dancing) to catch up with the Black Widow and Hawkeye.

 

He found them outside, Clint gazing at the alley in front of them from the doorway while Natasha was stood in the middle of the alley. Barely visible in the moonlight and blaring yellow beams from the nearest streetlight, one set of footprints walked in one direction, before stopping, then returning in a hurry. Several sets of footprints also came from that direction, then leaving without the alley being fully searched. Another set of footprints ran from the door, walking in the other direction.

 

“I think we know what happened here. Unfortunately, it still doesn't give an indication as to where Stark has gone” Clint said

 

“Stark went out, saw Rhodes’ search party coming, went inside to distract by setting off alarm, then leaving in other direction” Natasha asked, to confirm her opinion with Clint, who nodded

 

“He will have went home” Steve said suddenly

 

“Are you sure Steve? If he had, JARVIS would inform Miss Potts and call off the search” Clint retorted, confused

 

“What if JARVIS never told Miss Potts?” Natasha theorised

 

“Because Tony didn't want Miss Potts knowing?” Steve suggested

 

“Possibly. Why wouldn't he want Miss Potts to know though?”

 

“He would need time to recover alone. He really doesn't like hospitals. Bad memories. He just needs a quiet place to rest and recover” Steve informed the pair

 

“Also, we wouldn't check Stark Tower, because Potts ruled it out immediately. She said JARVIS would have informed her if Tony was staying there” Clint replied

 

“We need to find Miss Potts” Natasha decided, before looking to Clint and Steve, who were still in the doorway

 

Steve flinched at the idea of finding Pepper. _I don't think she'd want to talk to me_ , Steve thought to himself

 

“Clint and I will talk to her. Before that, Steve, you head back to SHIELD and look at the CCTV footage. See if you can find Stark. He’ll be incognito, won't want anyone noticing him, so look at everyone. We can't approach Potts without evidence. Text us if you find anything”

 

Steve nodded, before walking out of the doorway, into the alleyway and followed Tony’s footprints leading away from the search party footprints. Nearby, he found his trusted bike. He walked up to it, slung a leg over, hoisting himself on before twisting a key and revving the engine before driving off into the night.

 

Natasha, watching from the darkness, walked back inside with Clint and began to return up the stairs to find the assistant

 

“He'll be fine Tash”

 

“I hope so. This has really disoriented him. Let's find Potts”

 

“Hopefully she won't hit one of us this time”

 

“Are you kidding? She'll hit you definitely, you're the most annoying out of us two”

 

“Charmed as always Romanov”

 

“Likewise Barton”

 

~ ~ ~

 

It had long since passed nightfall when Tony dropped his blowtorch, too fatigued to continue.

 

“Sir?” JARVIS asked quietly

 

Tony shook his head to wake himself up, as he stood up from the workbench where he had been focusing on the head of the suit.

 

“Yeah JARVIS” Tony responded, his voice so slurred people wouldn't know if he was drunk or tired

 

“It is time for you to return to your quarters sir” JARVIS advised

 

 _I clearly must be tired_ , Tony thought, as that seemed like a good idea. _Well……maybe a few hours. Just to get some rest. Then I can start on the main body of the suit. Apparently breaking out of hospital then flying across the country and working for several hours tired a person out. Who knew?_

“Okay J. Knock out the lights for me, will ya?”

Tony shuffled from his workshop slowly back to his room, before collapsing onto his bed. He could barely hear the soft “Goodnight sir” from JARVIS as he slowly sunk deeper into sleep, images of a billionaire and super soldier dancing before his eyes, before the super soldier faded away, leaving the billionaire all alone.

He didn't even feel the tears slipping down his cheeks.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Steve struggled to suppress a yawn as his eyes, strained under the weight of several sleepless nights, focused on the CCTV screens in front of him. He was alone in the pitch black room, save for the dim glow emitted from the screens showing a continuous loop of footage focusing on Stark Tower, what Steve once called home. 

 

He'd been watching the footage for days now, but he couldn't find a trace of Tony anywhere. Without definitive evidence that Tony had returned to the Tower, Natasha and Clint couldn't approach Pepper Potts, the terrifyingly competent assistant and loyal friend to Tony. Until he caught a glimpse of those dark chocolate brown eyes or his copyrighted devilish grin (seriously, he actually did. Arrogant little guy, isn't he?) that implied he always had some scheme being thought out in his head. 

 

But most of all, the reason for Steve’s misery?

 

He missed Tony Stark. 

 

He missed the way he'd say double entendres and innuendos without breaking a sweat, but would turn bright red if Steve complimented him. He missed the way Tony could be so forgetful (he'd forget his brain if it wasn't already in his head) and so thoughtful at the same time, like when he cooked all of Steve’s favourite foods (breaking news, Tony Stark can actually cook. Who would've guessed?) for their six-month anniversary. Hell. He even missed Tony’s unhealthy dependence on coffee. 

 

Usually he couldn't stand it. That tells you just how much Steve missed Tony. 

 

While watching the footage, Steve idly observed this one person, dressed in a navy hoodie and wearing sunglasses, who was hovering outside the Tower, as if he wanted to get in but didn't know how. If Steve was in his normal state, he'd recognise the suspicious actions, but Steve was far off his normal state (at least three light years away, and a couple of bus journeys as well) so he couldn't care less. It was when the character started to walk around the perimeter that Steve finally noticed the obvious. Took him long enough. 

 

Pressing a couple of keys on the keyboard, Steve enlarged the CCTV footage of the man walking around the back of the Tower, watching as the lone figure observed the guards. Then, astounded, Steve gaped as the guards wandered off (it appeared they were headed in the general direction of the nearby doughnut shop) and the figure walked into the garage. The mystery man (as dubbed by Steve in his head – not very imaginative or creative – years spent in the army do that to a man) appeared to shout at the ceiling as he removed his hood and sunglasses. 

 

Steve's heart skipped a beat. Tony. 

 

Unknowingly sighing in relief, Steve immediately took a snapshot of Tony in the garage, looking slightly worse for wear but still his confident (some say egoistical, and they would be right) and dorky self. This snapshot was sent to Natasha and Clint, the only comment saying 

 

“Find Potts. Now.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Aw dammit Tash, you beat me again! If this continues, I won't be able to feed Phil or Lucky” Clint whined as he fumbled around in his pocket before handing over a crumpled 20 dollar bill to Natahsa, who sat as smug as a cat with all the cream

 

“Then why continue playing?” She asked slyly

 

“Well we need to bond somehow, and I'm not getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter because of sparring” Clint retorted while grabbing a handful of chips and shoving them down his throat 

 

“What's wrong with that?” Natasha responded with a grin, she remembered the last time they sparred well

 

Long story short, they sparred for two hours and Natasha had Clint on the floor over sixteen times while Clint failed to deck her even once. It was made even worse when Clint saw Phil chuckling in the corner, although he will deny it just like he denies that he's a Captain America fanboy (lies, all lies, Clint’s seen his weird shrine dedicated to Steve). 

 

“I still have bruises” Clint murmured, unconsciously rubbing his side while Natasha grinned even more 

 

“Stop that you're making me nervous!” 

 

“But I'm not doing anything”

 

“Exactly!” Clint exclaimed while Natasha rolled her eyes

 

Their petty argument (which they had a lot of, leading the majority of SHIELD to believe they were dating – seriously, they're a spying organisation, you would have thought they'd know who's dating who?) was interrupted by the synchronised beeping of their phones. Well. Natasha’s phone was a beep. Clint, ever the immature 5 year old he was, had the cawing of an American Bald Eagle (which gained more than a few weird looks) as Cap’s ringtone. 

 

Glancing at their phones, they saw the text from Steve, with the photo of Tony outside the tower. This was followed by more texts (and more cawing, leading to others in the café believing they were going insane and were looking around for an imaginary bald eagle) with more photos of Tony: proof he did make it back to Stark Tower. 

 

“Looks like Steve finally found him. Knew his Tony-detector would come in handy some day” 

 

Natasha kicked Clint under the table, causing a loud “Ow!”, as she dropped several bills on the table and began to walk out of the café, with Clint trailing behind her, hopping awkwardly as he did so.

 

“Tash, that hurt me right in the feelings. As well as the leg”

 

“Shut up. Now get in the car, we need to find Pepper Potts”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Tony collapsed onto the sofa in his workshop as he stared at the masterpiece right before his eyes, the lifeless suit of new armour (with a fresh coat of red and gold paint) stood in the corner. 

 

“Its only taken me a couple of days, J, but I've done it” Tony announced to the empty room, save for DUM-E whirring in the corner, probably making a smoothie (hopefully not poisoned this time)

 

“We are proud of you sir, but I beg you to reconsider your options” The AI informed him

 

“What other options?”

 

“Use this suit for good purposes, and not evil ones” JARVIS said, almost pleadingly

 

There were a few seconds of silence before Tony burst out laughing, his melodic and loud laugh echoing throughout the workshop

 

“Sir?” Asked JARVIS, who was quite confused

 

“Oh JARVIS, so naïve” Tony chuckled, while JARVIS was oblivious to the obvious

 

“Please could you inform me of what you find so dreadfully amusing sir” JARVIS said, a slightly annoyed tone in his robotic voice 

 

“Did you really think I'd be evil?” Tony asked, a grin breaking out on his face

 

“That is what I gathered, when you announced your intention to be a supervillain” JARVIS responded dryly

 

“Well. The public will think I'm a supervillain. I'll just be beating up corrupt businessmen and making it look like I'm evil. SHIELD won't be able to do anything else but get involved, which will get Steve’s attention. Who's defenceless now!” Tony yelled as he stood up and threw his arms into the air

 

JARVIS quietly mused whether now is the moment he should send his creator to the nearest mental institute, but he realised he would have to cope with DUM-E until his circuits eroded away (which wouldn't be for a while) and he concluded that the time to officially declare his creator insane was not today. Instead, he would humour him and go along with his “supervillain” scheme. What else could he do? Ah, the struggles of an omnipotent AI that could made Skynet green with envy. 

 

“If you say so sir. Shall I compile a list of businessmen and businesses with unsavoury actions and connections then?”

 

“Make it discreet, so it looks like I'm actually evil, when I'm secretly a good guy” Tony decided

 

“As you say sir”

 

Tony covered his mouth as he yawned for the thirtieth time (JARVIS had been counting) within the past few hours. 

 

“Sir, I suggest you get some rest. The time is now 11 in the morning, so if you sleep while I compile the list, you can be fully rested in time for this evening, to begin your first endeavour”

 

“J, I must be really tired, cause that's the best damn thing I've heard all day”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry I've not updated in ages *hides behind Steve*. Cookies anyone? Anyway, I'll be able to update more soon, since it's nearly the end of exams (hell yeah!) and I'll actually be able to relax for a bit. As usual, comments and kudos would be wonderful, they'd help me get through this last week of torture :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos, criticism and comments would be lovely :)


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